In this episode, we are joined by Madonna Thunder Hawk, a veteran of almost every native American struggle, from the Occupation of Alcatraz, to the 1973 siege at Wounded Knee.  Madonna is also a long-time community leader with experience in cultural preservation, economic development, American Indian Rights protection, and environmental justice.  She joins us to share her story and journey as a long-standing activist. 

What you will hear

• American Indian Movement and Occupation of Alcatraz
• Standing Rock Resistance Movement
• Advocacy for Native Children with Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation and Simply Smiles Project
• Indian Child Welfare Act
• Discoveries of mass graves of Indigenous children at boarding schools
• Madonna’s view on the appointment of Deb Holland as the Secretary of the Interior

Quotes

“We are colonized. We still have the mentality that ‘white is right.’ A lot of people won’t admit that.”

“There’s more to this legal system than we know. We had to find this out so that our children will know that here’s what they’re gonna face as they get older.”

Mentioned

Occupation at Alcatraz

Simply Smiles - sponsorships

Kluane Adamek is the Yukon regional chief in northern Canada. A part of the Killer Whale clan, she has been a leader since 2018 at the assembly of First Nations in Canada.  Adamek is passionate about supporting youth and emerging leaders in the North and beyond. She advocates for changes in the ways young people and the next generation are included in decision-making forums, and she's committed to advancing solutions and approaching leadership from a place of values.  Martha Troiani, originally from Obishikokaang (Lac Seúl First Nation) located in northwestern Ontario, is an award-winning independent journalist and writer specializing in investigative journalism  She has worked for and contributed to media outlets across North America for close to 15 years and often writes about Indigenous politics, justice, crime, data deficits, and environmental and human rights issues.

What You Will Hear:

• Introduction
  
• Strength, resilience and leadership in the indigenous community
  
• What motivated and inspired Kluane’s political involvement and experience
  
• The importance of recognizing the legacy matriarchs
  
• The realities of being a young indigenous woman leader today
  
• Patriarchy and misogyny
  
• The impacts of Global Warming and Climate Change
  
• Climate Action Fellowship creation and effect
  
• Including the youth and upcoming generation of leaders
  
• Challenging moments and hard conversations
  
• Gender equity
  

Quotes:

“This generation has a different challenge and a different responsibility.”

“Moccasin on one foot and a stiletto on the other.”

“The head and the heart are the closest, at the same time they can be the most disconnected.”

“The more that we push, the more we see things change.”

“Being a bystander when you are seeing things that are happening that aren’t appropriate and that aren’t celebrating women in leadership is just as bad as being a perpetrator of that.”

“My passion will always be making sure that we create space for young people.”

“We need everyone to be part of the work.”

Mentioned:

Kluane National Park

Yukon Climate Action Fellowship

Womens eNews

twitter/IG/Fb @womensenews

Member of San Carlos Apache tribe in Arizona, Mary Kim Titla sits down with 18 year-old Youth Entrepreneur, Leader, Activist, Martial Arts Champion, President of  Zuya Martial Arts and head of the “@BraveWoman” Movement, Kylie Hunts-In-Winter of the Standing Rock Sioux Dakota and Lakota People to discuss the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Movement. Kylie is a veteran activist who created the concept and social media movement, Bravewoman, to empower women around the world.  As a board member and chief youth lobbyist for the Indigenous Peoples’ Initiative, Kylie advocates for the rights of Indigenous Peoples as well as advocating and raising awareness about The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movement (MMIW). Training in martial arts since the age of three, Kylie uses her expertise in martial arts to teach self defense classes. Kylie has been featured in numerous publications and is the recipient of awards and recognitions, most recently having been named to the 25 under 25 Outstanding Native Leaders by the United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY).

What You Will Hear:

• CDC missing and murdered Indigineous women statistics
  
• Introduction
  
• Kylie’s family ancestry
  
• The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Movement (MMIW)
  
• Self defense and martial arts classes
  
• Mental and physical elements of martial arts
  
• Bravewoman movement and inspiration
  
• Tribal groups in the United States
  
• Tribal sovereignty, Land rights and jurisdiction crime issues
  
• Urban native populations
  
• United Nations and MMIW
  
• How people can get involved in the MMIW movement
  

Quotes:

“We need to bring awareness, not only within our indigenous communities, but also with everybody out there because, although this is an indigenous issue, we have to have a joint effort in creating solutions and working together.”

“There are too many times where the federal government is not charging these non-indigenous people, and when they are not charged by the federal government, reservations don’t have the jurisdiction to charge them and they are getting away with crimes committed with no consequences whatsoever.”

“Man camps that are made near the reservation have statistically shown to increase the violence, to increase the number of assaults and the amount of indigenous women who are being hurt or murdered and going missing.”

“Indigenous people do not only mean the native people of America, but this also means the people all around the globe, this means the Aboriginals, the people of South America…..there are many underserved countries that are not helping their indigenous people even nearly as much as we are.”

“The number one thing that needs to happen here is unity.”

Mentioned:

MMIW

IG: @Bravewoman

Mira Sorvino

United Nations

Womens eNews